In the beginning
Christmas day for a child can be when you get to open a mountain of presents, feast like kings on Pavlova and carelessly run down to the beach with friends for a quick swim in the surf before the sun sets. Bliss.
Christmas day for a parent can be when you are on your third glass on whine by 1 o’clock, overuse highlighters and sticky-notes all in an attempt to cook Christmas dinner and then are subjected to watching “Love actually” for the 6th time on tv2.
I can assume that most Kiwi Christmas’s are as described above, however as many kids at the tender and impressionable age of 9 my parents had agendas when it came to Christmas presents for my sister and myself.
Where as most kids would receive the latest and greatest selection of the “Toy world” catalogue, my parents sought out any gift that would distract me from my incessant need for attention for more than five minutes.
Hence, on Christmas morning 2009, I was bewildered when the oh so thoughtful Santa had brought me not only a sewing machine, but also 10,000 tiger worms with a joining worm-farm already placed out in the garden waiting for its new tenants.
I am sure my parents will be pleased to announce that this particular year, they had won. I spent the remainder of Christmas day twisting and turning the cogs of my Brother sewing machine and embellishing any piece of fabric I could get my hands on. While the 10,000 tiger worms got purposefully forgotten, buried under mountains of wrapping paper. (Mum did evict the worms the next day from the house, into their own permanent residence in the worm farm in the back garden)
I distinctly remember the first “garment” I ever sewed. Biking down to my local “Ikes emporium” for fabric , using my mums kitchen scissors to hack my way through the material and blindly sewing my way through thick and thin until it was complete.
The final result was (brace for it) a hot pink, leopard print, lycra mini skirt. Classy.
As my dad worked as an accountant for Rachel Hunter at the time, I thought this would be an amazing opportunity to launch my prepubescent self onto the global fashion scene. I essentially thought myself a protégé, the new Dior. I asked him, the only way a 9 year old girl would if he could pitch my skirt to Rachel Hunter in the aim of getting her to put it into her soon to be released range of clothing destined for stores worldwide.
The following day I handed over my one-of-a-kind skirt to my dad and rode on cloud 9 for the remainder of the day.
In the evening I asked my dad what Rachel Hunter thought of my skirt and when she was going to write me a check for my influential and ground braking designs. He knelt down (I was a short kid), placed a hand on my shoulder and shook his head from side to side. “She said the market just isn’t ready for it right now”
I was heartbroken.
Not only had I missed out on a one in a lifetime chance at stardom, but it was not even my fault, it was the markets fault for not being ready for my brilliance, my talent my flair .
I was ahead of my time, at 9 years old, I was ahead of my time.
For the following 14 years I sewed pencil-cases, dance costumes, dolls clothes, soft furnishings, various patterned garments and pursued a 4 1/2 year degree in fashion ending with a 17 piece collection in November 2018.
I have sewn multiple garment, but nothing will ever come close to the pride and joy I felt sewing that skirt. The creative freedom that I experienced with my Brother Gs2510 shaped my early years, and giving my parents more than their pre thought five minutes peace.
And might I just add that Alberta Ferretti is currently selling a hot pink, leopard print, lycra mini skirt for $552.36 NZD !!!!
Not bad for a 9 year old ahead of her time.
